Spirit in the House

Chapter 9

Bucky shoved Steve's shoulder to wake him up. With a grunt, Steve slapped his hand away. He almost fell off the sofa, but Bucky kept shaking his shoulder.

"Wake up!"

Steve sat up on the sofa, holding his head with both hands. He winced at Bucky's loud voice and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Shh! Stop shouting," Steve whispered.

"She's gone, I can't find her anywhere."

"Maybe she just went for a walk," he mumbled, hiding his eyes in the crook of his elbow

"She doesn't go anywhere, Steve! She's a fucking ghost!" Bucky screamed.

Steve let out a loud whine as he lay on his back on the floor. "Leave me alone, I'm dying."

Bucky hooked his hands under Steve's armpits and lifted him into a sitting position despite the blond's complaints. Steve tried to hold on to the sofa when Bucky started dragging him out of the room.

"I want death."

"I swear to God, Rogers, stop being such a drama queen."

They were in front of the door when Steve finally rose up to his feet. Bucky grabbed his keys and his jacket and pushed Steve out of the apartment.

"Where're we going?"

"The hospital, I need to see her." Bucky slammed the door shut before he jumped the stairs two at a time. He looked over his shoulder when he didn't hear Steve following him. "Move your goddamn ass!"

Bucky took the blue light out of the glove box and set it on the dashboard. Cars parted to let him through like Moses parting the Red Sea. He ignored Steve's raised eyebrow, technically it wasn't an emergency, and maneuvered between cars until he reached the hospital.

He barged into the hospital and immediately ran towards the staircase. Steve was much slower, still hung-over. He looked like he was racing against a snail and the snail was winning. He grabbed a cup of coffee in the hospital cafeteria where a nurse pointed him in the direction of the coma ward.

When Bucky turned the corner, he saw a bunch of doctors and nurses leave your room. He couldn't see their faces, but the thought of losing you made a cold shiver run down his spine. 'Not again' he muttered to himself, trying to stay calm.

"Not you again!"

The female voice startled him, he recognised it instantly. He turned around, Peggy was standing in front of him, hands on her hips. Staring at her, he slowly backed away.

"Are you stalking me?"

"No, I'm not! I swear!" he protested, walking backward with his hands up even though Peggy didn't move. "I need... her-"

"I know you've been visiting her," she interrupted, taking a step towards him. "You have to stop, she doesn't know you."

Bucky was about to retort when he noticed Doctor Cho standing behind him. She pulled her phone away from her ear and smiled at him.

"I've been trying to reach you, Mr Barnes."

"W-Why?"

"She woke up during the night."

The news hit him like a punch in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. He had to lean against the wall to steady himself. He was smiling so hard, his cheeks were sore.

"We removed the breathing tube, but she won't be able to speak for a while. Don't expect too much, okay? She's basically waking up from a five-month nap. Her muscles are gone. She's going to be very tired and very confused for a few weeks, possibly months."